Housing Chatter delivers the news you need to know about current events in the housing market in simple terms. We have no political or institutional affiliations so you can be confident that our content and commentary is unbiased. Housing Chatter is brought to you by your professional Realtor®.

One-Third of Home Owners Insurance Claims Involve Dog Bites

Dog bites accounted for more than one-third of all home owners insurance liability claims paid out in 2011, costing nearly $479 million, according to the Insurance Information Institute. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, the largest writer of home owners insurance in the U.S., paid out more than $109 million as a result of its nearly 3,800 dog ... Read More »

Incandescent Discontinued | Incandescent Light Bulbs Cease After 2014

As lightbulb efficiency standards phase in between 2012 and 2014, we’ll start bidding goodbye to Edison’s classic. The incandescent era is giving way to the compact fluorescent (CFL) generation, which lower energy costs by 75%, burn 10 times longer, and are more expensive. LED lights are likely to become popular as well; they can last for an average of ... Read More »

Housing and Economic Forecast Brighten

Positive underlying economic factors are helping relieve a pent-up housing demand, according to a presentation at the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meeting in Washington, D.C. this week. “Historically high housing affordability conditions, ongoing job creation, a solid stock market recovery, rising rents, a larger pool of ... Read More »

Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide | Green Cleaning Tips

When it’s time to clean, have your trusty green cleaners at the ready — baking soda, vinegar, castile soap — plus another ultra-cheap gem: hydrogen peroxide. You can use it anywhere, and can’t beat the price: A 16-oz. bottle only costs a buck.Here are 10 ways you can use that ubiquitous brown bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide to your home’s ... Read More »

How To Kill Weeds | How To Get Rid Of Weeds Naturally

Nothing ruins your garden or yard like weeds, those uninvited guests that rob your plants of space and nutrients. So murder those weeds most foul, but without harmful chemicals that can do you in, too. Who says you need standard weeding tools to kill weeds? Here are 7 ways to kill weeds with weapons you already have around your house. How to kill weeds1. ... Read More »